The Opera Tattler

Reviews of Performances and their Audiences

Recent posts

Category: Vivica Genaux

  • Vivaldi’s Juditha triumphans at PBO

    * Notes * The 2013-2014 season of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra ended with Vivaldi’s only surviving oratorio Juditha triumphans devicta Holofernis barbarie. The work features a few of the more unusual Baroque instruments. Violinist Elizabeth Blumenstock played viola d’amore in “Quanto magis generosa” and clarinetist Eric Hoeprich played a chalumeau in “Veni, veni, me sequere fida.” Both…

  • PBO’s 2011-2012 Season

    September 15-17 2011: Dido & Aeneas September 22-25 2011: Mozart & Haydn October 25-30 2011: Arias for Farinelli November 18-22 2011: Marion Verbruggen & The Italian BaroqueDecember 2-6 2011: Bach's Mass in B minor January 26-29 2012: Richard Egarr: Masters of the English Baroque March 6-11 2012: Steven Isserlis: The Classical Cello April 20-25 2012:…

  • Pittsburgh Opera’s 2008-2009 Season

    October 18-26 2008: Samson et DalilaNovember 15-23 2008: The Grapes of WrathFebruary 7-15 2009: Don PasqualeMarch 28- April 5 2009: La BohèmeMay 2-10 2009: L'Italiana in Algeri Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe is singing Dalila, which should be interesting. Vivica Genaux and William Burden sing the lead roles in L'Italiana, as they did in San Francisco a…

  • Cesare

    The Met production of Händel's Giulio Cesare in Egitto opened at San Diego Opera last Saturday. This production was in San Francisco in 2002, so I was familiar with both the music and the staging. This was somewhat unfortunate, as it started off badly, Ewa Podleś, in the lead role, was ahead of the orchestra.…

  • Sundry Performance Notes

    Yesterday someone pulled the fire alarm at just ten minutes before curtain time for the last performance of L’Italiana. Everyone filed out in an orderly fashion, but it took quite a long time to get back inside and settled in again. During the performance I wanted to note that in Act II, Vivica Genaux does…

  • Cra cra cra

    The alternate in the title role for San Francisco opera’s production of L’Italiana in Algeri is excellent. I was not impressed by mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux in Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria, but I think her voice is better suited to something airy and light like L’Italiana. Her voice was incredible in the role of Isabella,…

  • Return

    Bayerische Staatoper’s production of Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria had almost no redeeming qualities. If they find Baroque operas so boring they shouldn’t bother putting them on. It shows very little respect to be making Monteverdi’s opera into a farce. It was so bad that even I could not sit through it twice, though I…